Back in 2004 I used to sell lottery tickets all day long, earning about Rs 50 at the end of the day. What I would earn the next day was uncertain. Then I started dealing in land and property. Today I earn around Rs 50,000 a month. I no longer have to worry about tomorrow.

Satrughan Dey

Do you save more or less compared 2004?

I find that rolling my savings into business capital profitable. I have a comfortable amount of money in the bank.

What does your house have now that it did not in 2004?

I had no house then. Today, I have a two-storeyed house with seven rooms. We have all the comforts like fridge and AC

How did you travel then, how do you travel now?

I used to sell lottery tickets on foot. Even buying a bicycle was unthinkable back then. Now I travel in my car

Do you travel by train or air? How did you travel in 2004?

Today, I take my family out at least once a year and we travel usually by air or in AC coaches in trains. In 2004 it was either buses or general compartments in trains

Do you shop round the year or only before Puja, Diwali etc? Has this changed over the years?

We shop when required. Nowadays, I can afford to buy branded clothes. Earlier I used to buy during sale

Do your children go to school? In your family did children go to school earlier? If it is a government school has there been any changes in standards/infrastructure?

My daughter is in first-year in Visva-Bharati. My son is studying in Class IX in Raiganj Coronation High School, that is government-run. The school has always been well equipped with fans and good laboratories

Is there any difference in food you can afford now and what you could 10 years ago?

I am very fond of mutton. Ten years ago I could not afford it. Today I can afford mutton

Do you encounter more corruption or less in your daily life?

To tell you the truth the rate of corruption has increased over the years. However, as I am a businessman I cannot elaborate on that. I can tell of an instance when I admitted a neighbour to the district hospital late at night about a year ago. I had to buy a medicine at three times the price at a shop near the hospital

What is the last movie you have seen and when?

I am not a regular movie goer. But about two months ago, my wife and I went to a hall and watched Chennai Express.

Do you have a cellphone? How old is it? Did you have one before you bought the current one?

I bought my first cellphone in 2006. For the past two years I have been using a Samsung touch-screen phone

What do you do with the cell phone?

My phone is used mainly to keep in touch with my family and run my business

Do you go on holiday? How often do you go?

Two years ago we used to go on an annual outing. Now I have a car and after learning how to drive, we set off for places in north Bengal every three or four months

Do you run out of money to buy food towards the end of the month?

Back in 2004 I had to think twice before buying food. We donít run out of money now

Do you have more or less pairs of clothes compared to 2004?

I had few clothes and wore a hawaii chappals in 2004. Now I wear branded sports shoes. I have more clothes now

What are the biggest changes in your life since 2004?

I do not have to think what to feed my family the next day

What is your biggest regret in the past 10 years?

I have no regrets

What is your biggest achievement in the past 10 years?

The day I entered my two-storied house with my family that I built with my own money

Are you happier or sadder now? Why?

I am happy. I am secure that if I am not there my family will be able to fend for themselves